Black Crow Blues
by Miss T Marsh
Summary: Bobby and the Munson ladies want nothing more than an easy life. It isn't always easy and they're learning the hard way. Pre-show. Bobby/Precious /OFC Jax/OFC
1. Chapter 1

**October 1996**

"You think you might you want to do some work?" Gemma asked, eyeing Lauren. The girl gave no response, still staring out of the window on to the lot, twirling a lock of her hair. "Get away from the window. Don't make me ask again." She let out an over dramatic sigh before marching across the stuffy office and slumping into the chair.

This was bullshit- being made to have constant supervision for a month. At least Bobby had the common sense to let her do her some of her punishment time with Gemma at the office and not leave her home with Precious. She couldn't be more relieved that her month was up at the end of the week. Between working her part time job at the diner, babysitting and being grounded she had little time to herself. Maybe now she would get a minute.

"That stack-" Gemma said, pointing to the papers in front of Lauren "Needs to be filed away. Okay?"  
"Okay."

She wasn't a bad kid by any means. She'd done far, far worse stuff back when she was Lauren's age. Christ, she had run away to San Francisco by the time she was seventeen. Sneaking out to go to a warehouse party in Sacramento hadn't been Lauren's best idea, but she had a good head on those shoulders- for the most part.

"You learn your lesson?" Gemma asked.  
"Don't lie- or at least don't get caught." She replied. She could feel Gemma's stare burning into her back. Still kneeling by the filing cabinet she turned to look at Gemma and held her hands up in surrender.  
"I'm kidding."  
"You'd better be. What if something woulda happened to you? Bobby and Precious would be devastated." That was a half truth and both of them knew it.  
"Yeah, Precious woulda been real heartbroken, I'm sure." She turned back to the cabinet, shaking her head in the process.

"Things still rough with her?" She turned back to Gemma, laying the papers on the top of the filing cabinet.  
"When aren't they? She hates me, Gem."  
"I doubt that." Gemma didn't doubt that, not one bit. As much as Gemma was for brutal honesty, telling a kid that wouldn't help their situation any. Gemma knew as well as anyone what Precious could be like.  
"She's always such a bitch to me, I could kill her." She replied flatly, eliciting a smirk from the older woman. "But for some reason, dad loves her, so I can't."  
"Besides, who do you think would have to care of Tiki?" Gemma countered.  
"Speaking of Tiki- I'd better go."  
"Okay baby, are you coming here tomorrow?"  
"No, I have the lunch and dinner shifts tomorrow."  
"If I don't see you before, I'll see you for Sunday night dinner."

0-0

Jax stepped out of his bay, intent on a moment of quiet, away from the bustle of the garage and had seated himself on a picnic table. The sound of heels clipping the asphalt had caused him to turn around, Lauren had appeared from the office.

They barely spoke these days, nothing more than civil chitter chatter anyway.  
Tara had skipped town after graduation, leaving Jax behind to turn into a drunken wreck. Everyone had done their best to try and help him out but it hadn't been enough. He'd treated everyone around him badly, including her.  
For the best part of three months everyone around him had tolerated his selfish and self destructive behaviour, Lauren couldn't stand by and watch anymore. She had tried to talk to him but it had been useless and resulted in a huge argument that caused a rift between them for over a month.  
The stubborn streak in her shone out, refusing to make friends until he could issue an apology. Bobby said that was a trait she got from her mother.

"You okay?" He asked, she nodded a reply.  
"I've been summoned. Gotta head home and watch Tiki." She indicated, pointing a finger towards the compound gates. He nodded and let her get a few more paces away from him before finally managing to swallow his pride.  
"Ren, you got a minute?" She offered him a small smile that barely reached her eyes.  
"Yeah, I guess. What's up?"  
"I wanted to say sorry, for what I said to you. I shouldn't have said any of that shit, I was just..."  
"Upset. I know. You needed a minute, I get it."  
"Can we forget it happened?"  
"I can if you can." They smiled at each other, for what seemed like the first time in a while. Jax slung an arm over her shoulder, pulling the slightly shorter brunette into his side.

"I hate to end your little reunion." Bobby said, striding over to the benches. "But hadn't you better get going? Precious is waiting on you." She nodded, turning to wave a hand at Jax.  
"Stay gold darlin'."  
"Will do. See ya."  
"Hey, don't I get a kiss goodbye?" Bobby asked, eliciting an eye roll from her.  
"Sure." She placed a kiss on his cheek and patted his shoulder. "See you at home."

0-0

Tiki was sleeping soundly, curled up on Lauren's chest as she idly stared at the TV. If there was one good thing that came from Precious joining their family, it was him. The eight month old infant seemed to be getting bigger everyday.  
"Think I'd better get you back to bed, little man." She whispered, attempting to stand without disturbing the infant.

She heard the phone ringing from upstairs and jogged down to catch it in time. It was probably only Bobby, calling to say he'd be home late.

It wasn't Bobby, although she half wished it was.  
"It's Tara." The meek voice replied.  
"Oh." _Oh!_ She was not expecting that.  
"I just wanted to talk, I missed you. You know?"

_What the fuck?_ Had she been stealing the meds from medical school? Nobody had heard a word from her in over a month and suddenly she was there, on the other end of the phone.

"No, I didn't." She replied stiffly.  
"Well I did- I mean, I do."  
"Funny way of showing it. What with you just taking off like that." Her stubborn side was beginning to show...again.  
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to hear a friendly voice." Lauren took a deep breath, attempting to simmer down. Maybe she did miss her. After all, besides Jax, Lauren was just about the only person in the family that would give her the time of day- granted, that had taken a while.  
"Is everything okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm good. I'm happy here."  
"That's good."  
"What about you? How are things with you?"  
"Same as always." She replied flatly. _You'd know that if you bothered to be a friend._ She thought to herself.  
"And Jax?"  
"Honestly?"  
"Yeah."  
"You kinda ruined him for a while." Not the most diplomatic answer, but hell it could have been way worse.  
"He's doing better now. But, it was horrible. You hurt him _so_ much."  
"Lauren-" Gemma's brutal honesty had a tendency to rub off on people.  
"Look, I'm not saying this to be spiteful, or whatever. You wanted the truth and I'm giving it to you."  
"Can you tell him that I'm sorry?"  
"Absolutely not." She knew better than to get involved again. "Jax and I have only just made up and if he found out that I'd been talking to you I think he'd be pretty mad at me."  
"So you don't want to talk to me?"  
"I didn't say that. But don't, for one second think that one phone call is gonna fix things. I'm still _really_ pissed with you. We were supposed to be friends."  
"I know! I'm sorry, really I am. But I had to get out of that place, you know that?"  
"I guess."

Silence hung between the pair for a few moments.  
"So, you still working at the diner?"  
"Yeah, still part time. I take care of Tiki too."  
"How is he?" Talking about Tiki would break the awkwardness, if Tara knew anything, it was that Lauren was a proud big sister. It was a sure fire way to melt the ice queen.  
"He's great, I love him so much. He's getting real big now."  
"That's great! So what are you going to do, just work at the diner?"  
"You mean am I ever going to go to college?"  
"Exactly." This conversation, again. Like they didn't have this to and fro every time graduation had been mentioned. "You're wasted in that diner." Tara continued, she knew that right about now Lauren would be rolling her eyes.  
"I was thinking of applying to college for next year. I haven't talked to my dad though." The truth was that she kind of wanted an out.

She loved her family- all of them, but she needed a little more than just being a waitress and babysitter. Skipping out on college had felt like the right thing to do at the time, she just wanted a break from school. But now she was fully into real life, it hadn't turned out as great as she imagined. She sorely regretted that choice.

"You should. You're too smart to work there forever. Where are you thinking of going?"  
"UCLA. It's a good school and I think I should stay in the state, so there's less of an argument." She heard the pipes of Bobby's bike approaching. "Look, I gotta go."  
"Can I call you again?" She didn't have time to think of the pros and cons of this, not when Bobby was about to come in.  
"Yeah, sure. Take it easy." The phone was back on the receiver before Tara had the chance to respond.

She went to the kitchen, grabbed a beer and a soda from the fridge and padded back into the living room. She heard the front door close, indicating Bobby's arrival.  
"Got you a beer, dad."  
"Thanks sweetheart." She nodded as to acknowledge his thanks, turning her attention back to the TV.  
"You okay?"  
"Yeah, why?" She fired back.  
"I don't know, you seem a little... on edge."  
"I'm okay." She watched him take a sip of his beer, his brows knitting together in confusion. "You sure about that kid?" She sighed, for some reason- which she would never work out, her conversation with Tara had almost inspired her to put some plans in motion.  
"Can we talk?" He nodded, still eyeing her suspiciously.  
"You aren't knocked up, are you?" A hand went to her mouth as she tried to contain the soda was about to spat across the living room.  
"No! God, no. I've been thinking, a lot, about my life. I want to go to college next year."  
"Okay."  
"I don't mean stay here and commute to Stockton. I mean I want to go away to college."  
"Now hold on." He put his hands up, as if to reason with her. "This is something we definitely need to discuss."  
"I know, I get that. I'm not thinking of going to the other end of the country. I decided on UCLA- it's still in state and it's a real good school. The San Gabrielle charter isn't far from there either. So if I should ever get into any trouble, I'm covered." She did her '_aren't you impressed?' _head tilt_, _coupled with an almost shit-eating grin. He was smirking back at her. The kid had done her homework to make sure there would be no arguments from him. Why were all the women in his life scheming?  
"You got me there. You have everything covered, If it's really what you want to do, then who am I to say no?"  
"Thank you."  
"You do know that i'll really miss you, don't you?"  
"I'll miss you, but i'll come back for weekends and vacations and stuff."  
"You better do. Don't want you doing a 'Tara' on us."

Yeah, she definitely needed to keep that phone call a secret.


	2. Chapter 2

**November 1996**

Wednesday night church was over before it had really begun, all was quiet- or as quiet as it could be for a criminal enterprise. Dues were all paid, there was now a steady flow of cash thanks to the changes that Clay had made since he had taken the gavel almost three years prior.

It was Opie's turn to man the bar after church tonight, so there he stood, lining up the beers ready for his brothers to collect as they filed out of the chapel slowly. Each gave him a nod of appreciation as they took a beer and found a seat, or gathered around the pool tables.

Piney sat on his usual stool at the end of the bar, with Bobby joining him, they watched as Opie answered the bar phone.

"For you." Opie said to Jax, signalling to the phone.

"Yeah?"  
"Hello to you too." Lauren snarked back.  
"Sorry, figured it'd be Ma calling. What's up darlin'?"  
"I can't hang out tonight, her fuckin' highness dumped Tiki on me again. I assume Dad's not planning on leaving anytime soon?" He turned to observe Bobby, who was enjoying a glass or two of Piney's Patrón.  
"Yeah, I don't think so. I'll come over, there's no need to cancel. I'll grab us something to eat and we can still watch a movie- how about something scary?" He coaxed the bad mood right out of her. "You can hold my hand if you get scared." He teased.  
"Mmm-hmm." He knew she would be grinning. "Well I guess I'll see you in a while."  
"Sure will." He smiled, hanging up the phone and turning to step from behind the bar.

"You got another girl on the scene already?" Piney asked. Jax shook his head, no. A slight pang hit his chest as Piney's off-handed comments served as a reminder that he'd had his heart stomped on by a certain Brunette- who's name he refused to even think about saying and who was now residing in San Diego.

"I'm hanging out with Ren."  
"Again? That's what, the third time in a week?" The older man questioned him, raising his eyebrows with interest. "You'd better watch him, Bobby."  
"Like a hawk." Bobby joked, giving Jax a pointed look.  
"You gossip worse than the ol' ladies, you know that?" Jax countered, rolling his eyes. "You should be glad I'm going over there, I'm gonna have to talk her down from the ledge- Precious dumped Tiki on her again. She's _mad_. "  
"Great." Bobby sighed. "Think you'd better pour me another one, old man. Might be here for a while."

Ever the pacifist, Bobby had made the decision to wait it out at the clubhouse and not involve himself. Thus avoiding his daughter and the headache he would inevitably get due to the current situation at home. He loved both of his girls, but did not want to deal with the fallout of Precious' was the exact reason he had started to avoid going home in the first place.

It was just after eleven when Precious had arrived back from her evening out, finding Jax and Lauren huddled together on the couch, lights out whilst they watched a horror movie.  
Lauren hit pause on the remote control as Precious switched on the light.  
"Mrs Munson." Jax greeted her courteously, Lauren pursed her lips together trying to fight the laughter that was dying to explode out of her. Jax had a way of charming _any_ woman, Precious was the exception.

"Jackson." She nodded back at him and gave Lauren a pointed stare.  
"Your father home yet?" Precious asked, Lauren replied with a shake of the head. "Thought as much." She muttered. Lauren's stare grew cold, for a brief moment before it softened and she almost nodded in agreement with her step-mother. It didn't stop Lauren from disliking her, despite the fact she was right.

What Bobby had seen in her- well, she had no idea. The woman was nothing but a bitch with a bad dye job. Maybe Bobby had realised his error when choosing his last ol' lady, he was hardly at home these days-either working in the garage or hanging out at the clubhouse during the week and he had recently started to book more and more shows in Lake Tahoe on the weekends. Perhaps that was why Precious was in one constant bad mood.

"I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late."  
"Night, Mrs Munson." She raised a hand to signal a goodbye as she headed up the stairs.  
"Sorry about her."  
"Don't sweat it." He shrugged, grinning at her. The pair made their way out into the front yard, Lauren stood on the porch steps observing Jax as he adjusted his helmet. "So, Clubhouse, Friday night?"  
"I don't get off 'til ten."  
"So? It never gets good until around eleven anyways."  
"I guess I could." She shrugged casually. "I'm home alone all weekend."  
"Yeah?"  
"Dad's got a few shows booked in Tahoe and Precious is taking Tiki to see her sister, somewhere."  
"It's a date then." He winked and she rolled her eyes in reply, desperately trying to fight off the blush that was about to appear across her cheeks.  
"Whatever." He grinned back at her, closing the few feet between them. As the grin faded he took the two steps up the porch to meet her and planted a soft peck on her cheek. She pursed her lips together, trying to hide a grin.  
"Stay gold." He returned to his bike, climbing on and starting up the engine.  
"Night." She raised a hand, waving good night as he backed the bike out of the drive.

0-0

The Munson family sat around the breakfast table in silence, all bar Tiki who was happily jibbering nonsense as he slammed his hands onto the high chair's table. Precious scooped the infant from his highchair before declaring she was heading out to the store. Lauren eyed the tall blonde as she left the house, infant in tow.

"You and Jax have fun last night?" Bobby asked, attempting to break the silence. Lauren gave a nod in reply before taking a bite from her toast. "What did you do?"  
"Watched a movie." He hoped she would have grown out of the almost monosyllabic episodes that she often had.  
"Tell me to mind my own business, but is there something going on there?"  
"With Jax?"  
"Yeah." She shook her head, looking at him like he was the crazy one. She wished, but she'd never tell her dad that. Silence overcame the room again as they ate breakfast.

"You think we might have a talk?" Lauren ceased her chewing, frowning suspiciously at Bobby.  
"About?"  
"Our... situation." She continued to frown at him, he was acting bizarre. "I know we rely on you a lot to take care of Tiki, but you should know we appreciate it."  
"I don't exactly get a choice." Lauren muttered, leaning over to pour herself another cup of coffee.  
"Now come on, that's not true."  
"Yes it is." She sighed, hoping to be at least a little diplomatic whilst giving him the facts.  
"You know I love Tiki, like, a lot. If I was actually asked to watch him I wouldn't be so annoyed about doing it." Bobby tried to interject but was ignored, she wanted her point put across and that was exactly what was going to happen. Like it or not, she was stubborn.

"Now, I don't know if it's because you're barely ever around here anymore, but it seems like you don't know how much I take care of him." That actually hurt Bobby a little, especially since samcro were all about family and he seemingly wasn't at the moment.  
"It's not once in a while." She continued. "It's all the time. I have to cancel my plans all the time so Precious can live her life."  
"I know sweetheart, but sometimes things just come up and plans have to change."

She let out an exasperated sigh, he was always defending her.

"Yeah- _my_ plans. Does she think that just because I'm not dating Alex anymore that I don't have a life?" How was he supposed to know the answer to that?

But now that it was pointed out to him, maybe that observation was correct. She and Alex had broken up by the end of August and within a couple of weeks she was babysitting an awful lot. At first he assumed she had volunteered to spend the majority of her time taking care of Tiki to take her mind off her break up, evidently not.

"Jax and I were supposed to go out for dinner and to the movies last night, but Precious decided she wanted to go out drinking with Luann, she was halfway out the door before she even mentioned that she was going out."  
"And I'm sorry about that."  
"I'm your daughter, not Tiki's nanny."  
"I'm aware of that."  
"But is she? Daddy, I love you but I want my own life. So, if things don't change... I'll start looking for a place of my own." She hadn't intended on making the threat, she had every intention of keeping her cool and riding the next few months out until it was time to leave for college. Something had to give and she was determined that it wasn't going to be her. She huffed a sigh of relief, it was out there now. She felt a little better, that had been brewing for a while and it had felt good to actually unload to somebody.

Now it was Bobby's turn to be diplomatic.

"Don't you think that's a little drastic? Besides, you're going to be going off to college in... ten months, you can't hold out that little bit longer?"  
"College isn't a definite- they might not want me."  
"Who are you kidding? Why wouldn't they want somebody as smart as you?"  
"We're getting off point here. But thanks." She smiled softly at him and he reciprocated.  
"It's true. But back to the point- I'll talk to Precious."  
"Thank you." She glanced up at the clock. "Shouldn't you be heading out now?" He observed the time before downing the last part of his coffee.  
"You're right. Love you, kid." He said, placing a kiss on the top of her head before grabbing his keys and heading out of the door.  
"Love you too." She called after him.

0-0

Friday's party at the clubhouse had left her feeling a little- no, a lot hung over. With nobody sober enough to drive her home, she had found an empty dorm room and had been dead to the world until around mid morning. After a strong cup of coffee she had said goodbye to whoever was around the clubhouse and set off to the grocery store. She doubted there'd be anything to eat at home since everyone else was away.

She had been dawdling up and down the aisles of the grocery store whilst she chatted to one of the very few non-club related friends she actually had.

Denver 'Denny' Hoffman had been in her chem class at Charming High School, they had been assigned as lab partners and found they had a great deal in common and had become good friends since then. She was one of the minority of kids who, after graduation had not left the state to attend college. She was the heiress of Hoffman Pharmacy, currently studying in Sacramento at California Northstate University pharmacy school during the week and spending weekends back in Charming working at the pharmacy.  
Denver had been named after her place of conception, she hated that name- convinced it was a tacky way to name a child. Luckily Lauren's parents agreed with her- else she'd have been named _Seedy, two-bit motel in Lake Tahoe_ Munson.

"Hey bitch. How's it going?" Denny asked cheerfully.  
"Could you be quieter? I was at the clubhouse last night."  
"Hooking up with Jax Teller? Cause, you know, I wouldn't blame you at all. It'd be about time."  
"Don't be a dick, it's not like that." She sighed, if only it was.

There was no denying that he was good looking- almost God-like in fact. She had been particularly jealous of Tara at first. As far as she had been concerned it should have been her that got a shot with Teller. She'd already put in four years of friendship- but no, the brunette vixen had jumped right on in there and stolen Jax's heart.

Eventually she had just accepted that Tara and Jax were made for each other and decided to be a grown up about it. It had taken a while, but eventually they had even become close friends.  
Lauren's crush on Jax had almost completely vanished by the time Tara and Jax had ended.

But now, they were both on the market _and_ spending time together. Maybe Jax would forget that they had grown up together for the previous ten years and look at her differently. Maybe she could finally get a piece of the blond Adonis.

"Anyways, I just wanted to see if you had plans tonight?"  
"Yeah, Brad Pitt is flying in especially to take me to the diner." Denny snarked back.  
"Well us single ladies should stick together. My folks are away, so if you want to come over-"  
"Yes!" She practically cried "I cannot be stuck at home with my parents another Saturday night. I'll kill myself- I swear to god." Denny's way of turning even the littlest of things into a drama worthy of an Oscar had often kept Lauren entertained.  
"Well come over whenever."  
"Hey, you want me to bring some peyote over again?"  
"Fuck no, I'm not fully convinced that the high was worth it after the amount I puked."  
"Let me convince you! Besides, it'll get rid of all the toxins you drank last night. It cleanses the spirit."  
"Fine." There was no arguing with Denny, she was relentless.

Lauren strolled towards the frozen produce aisle as she listened to Denny babble on about...something. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her.  
"What the..." Alex Livingstone was back in town and looking as good as he always did.  
"I know, right?"  
"What?" She lowered her voice to a whisper "No, Alex is in the store. He's back."  
"What? Are you gonna go speak to him?"  
"No." She took a few paces back in hopes of not being spotted, but it was too late. He grinned at her and began to travel towards her.  
"Shit, he's coming over. I'll see you later." Without giving Denny a chance to answer, she had already flipped the phone closed.

Alex Livingstone was six feet four inches of pure football playing muscle. The brown haired, brown eyed giant looked as good as the last time she had seen him.

Still dressed in the previous evenings attire, she suddenly felt gross. The Aztec print pencil skirt that finished mid calf had been teamed with a black sleeveless crop top and her leather jacket, a pair of high heeled, black leather mules finished the outfit nicely.

"Hey Ren. Been a while, huh?" He smiled brightly, taking in the sight of his ex girlfriend "You look good." He continued to use those hazel pools he called eyes and pearly white teeth to try to dazzle her.  
"Um, thanks. Back for Thanksgiving?"  
"Yeah, I'm only here for the next week. We should catch up, you know?" She should have told him to go fuck himself, but somehow the anger she had towards him had dissipated the second he flashed that grin at her. She was only human, after all.

He had broken up with her before leaving for college in Chicago, spinning some line about how long distance was a strain and not fair on her. She suspected it was bullshit and that he just wanted to be single, so he could hook up with as many girls as possible on campus.

Instead of being defiant against the idea of them hanging out, she had only managed to shrug. That bastard still had it. He had actually come across as less of an asshole than he'd ever been before, managing to feign interest when he asked about her family. He had also invited her to his family home for Sunday dinner the following evening. The clacking of heels on the tiled floor meant only one thing.

"Lauren, what a surprise." Gemma Teller-Morrow stood behind Lauren, one hand on her cocked hip, observing the scene in front of her. Always observing.  
"Hey Gemma." Gemma nodded, almost ignoring her response to focus on Alex. She gave him a casual nod and before he had the time to respond her eyes were back on Lauren.  
"You have fun with Jax last night?" _Oh Gemma, so obvious_ she thought to herself. Gemma had hated Alex and this was just some ploy to make that point clear.  
"Yeah, we did." Lauren replied before Gemma gave an approving nod.  
"That's good sweetie." She eyed Alex again before continuing. "Still free for dinner tomorrow?"  
"I am."  
"Good. Well come over early, okay?" Lauren nodded, hoping to put an end to this awkward scenario.  
"Sure."  
"Alex." She gave the other teen a curt nod before disappearing around the corner aisle again.  
Lauren turned back to Alex, more than a slight blush in her cheeks.  
"So you and Jax Teller..."  
"We've been spending a lot of time together." She figured it was best to be as taciturn as possible. She did _not_ want to be a liar.  
"Hey, it was good to see you, but I need to head back home." Okay, so a little white lie now and again was fine.  
"No worries, I'll see you around?"  
"Maybe." She replied unconvincingly.

She heaved a sigh of relief as she exited the store. With any luck that would be the last time she would see him during his short trip back to Charming.

**AN: I just wanted to thank everyone that read the first chapter, hopefully you enjoyed it. I'll try and update as quickly as possible, however, I am still in the process of ironing out a few things and a little busy at times- so bear with me. Any feedback would be much appreciated.**

**I also forgot to mention that the majority of characters and settings were created by Kurt Sutter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Late November 1996**

Thanksgiving had been nothing but a shit storm for two of the Munsons.

It began at the start of the week when Precious called from Walnut Creek informing Bobby that she and Tiki wouldn't be back for Thanksgiving. She had decided to outstay her welcome at her sister's house, much to Bobby's protests.  
This was clearly a sign that things were heading south- if they hadn't already. Bobby had to wonder if she'd come back at all.

0-0

Despite the break from Precious, Lauren's Thanksgiving had been the worst Turkey day, ever. Lauren had worked the dinner shift, which had actually turned out to be busy- apparently some of the town's residents didn't want to cook their special dinner and opted to be cooked for at the diner.  
She had quickly changed out of the pale blue polyester nightmare of a uniform, re-applied her make up and went out to wait for Jax to collect her since she was expected at the Morrow thanksgiving dinner.  
"Hey Ren." Alex appeared on the diner's lot. "Happy Thanksgiving."  
"Back at you." She smiled weakly at him, wishing her ride would hurry the fuck up. "You meeting your parents here for dinner?" She asked.

"No. I came to see if you wanted to come celebrate Thanksgiving with me." He winked at her, closing the distance between them.  
"I have plans already, family dinner. Just waiting for my ride, shouldn't be long." She replied, taking a step away from him. He failed to take the hint and slipped an arm around her waist.  
"Forget that, I've really missed you. Let's grab a few beers and celebrate together- just you and me."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. He'd already started the celebrations, judging by the amount of alcohol she could smell on his breath. _Was he fucking kidding?_ He had dumped her ass and now he was trying to get some holiday loving. No fucking way!  
"Yeah, I can't. Like I said, I have plans with my family." Her tone sharpened suddenly. She wished he would take the hint. She wriggled from his embrace and walked out of the lot into the street.  
"What, I'm not fucking good enough now?"  
"What? You fucking dumped me! Sorry to ruin your plans but I'm over you and _this _is not happening." She signalled with her arms wildly before trying to walk away from what was about to become a full-blown row in the middle of the street. Alex was not going to let this drop so easily.  
She heard the pipes of Jax's bike before she saw him appear from around the corner. She heaved a sigh of relief; this could be over and she could enjoy what was left of the evening. Jax ignored Alex as pulled up beside Lauren.

"Jump on, little darlin'." He called to her, she was genuinely happy to see him- she wanted to hug him for interrupting.  
"Oh, I see. You're fucking that douche bag now." Alex called to Lauren.  
"What's going on?" Jax asked her.  
"Nothing, don't worry about it." She figured if they ignored Alex he would give up. She grabbed the helmet Jax handed to her, trying her best to fasten the straps as quickly as possible.  
"Hey bitch, I'm talking to you."  
"The fuck did you just call her?"  
"You deaf as well as stupid, asshole?" Alex bit back. A hand went across Lauren's mouth. This was about to get so much worse.  
Jax went to get off his bike but Lauren stood in front of him.  
"Jax, please. Let's just go. _Please_." She pleaded with Jax, who remained still only to eye Alex.  
"I knew you'd end up some fucking biker whore, white trash piece of shit. That's why I dumped your stupid ass."

Jax couldn't sit still any longer. He almost jumped from his bike, setting the kickstand down before swaggering over to Alex. Lauren chased after Jax, trying to get in between the pair of angry men.  
"Jax, just ignore him. Come on, we need to go." She grabbed Jax's hand and attempted to pull him back towards his bike. He wasn't moving though, his jaw set firmly as he breathed deeply, keeping his eyes on Alex.  
"Shouldn't you listen to her? Sure the rest of your buddies are waiting to take a turn on her tonight."  
Jax shook his arm free from Lauren's grasp; before anybody knew what was going on Jax had launched himself at Alex.  
Alex stepped back stunned, Jax had punched him square in the face causing his nose to pour with blood.  
"Don't you ever fucking talk about her like that." Jax said, pointing a menacing finger at him. Lauren stood dumbfounded; this was getting out of control.  
"You'll be sorry you did that." Alex wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve and tried compose himself some. Despite being a good few inches taller and wider than Jax, he wouldn't win this fight. He was far too drunk to have any decent coordination. They had to give it to him; he was determined to beat Jax to a bloody pulp.  
Alex charged at Jax, tackling him to the ground. The pair scuffled and scrabbled for control of the situation, each one getting the chance to pound the face of the other guy.  
Alex had somehow managed to be sitting on top of Jax. His arm raised, his clenched fist landing blows to Jax's face.

_The helmet. Use the fucking helmet._ She thought suddenly. She'd had it in her hand the entire time, holding it by the rim she dashed over to the heap of men and swung the helmet into Alex's face with all the strength she had. He fell back, clutching his jaw in agony.  
"Jax, come on get up. We need to get going…now." Jax was startled for a moment, his eyes wide in surprise. She held a hand out to him to try and pull him up but he had just managed to stare at her.  
In the ten years they had been friends he had never seen her hit anyone.  
"Jax, now." She urged, her eyes were wide in panic, fear… he had no fucking clue.  
It was too late for an escape though; a police cruiser was now approaching.

0-0

Some Dudley Do-Good had called the cops and the three of them ended up in the cells at the station.  
Lauren was lucky enough to have the cell facing Jax, whilst Alex's cell was next to hers.

Clay and Bobby had turned up and had words with Unser- what those words were, Lauren would never know. But they had worked, eventually all charges were dropped and everyone walked away with a clean record, or without new charges in Jax's case.  
She would have been grateful to have spent the rest of Thanksgiving in that cell for the amount of teasing that took place when she arrived at the Morrow's place. It had mostly been from Tig Trager and Kyle Hobart, the two club members she rarely ever spoke to. It had served as a reminder as to why she never spoke to them.  
She had been pretty quiet during dinner, mostly out of embarrassment. Once the meal was over and the dishes were done she snuck out to the back yard with a beer.  
"Want some company?" Jax asked. He had been leaning against the doorjamb watching her.  
"Sure."  
"You okay?"  
"Fuck, I'm just so embarrassed. I'm really sorry that you had to get involved."  
"Calm the fuck down." He said, nudging her playfully. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."  
"You're fucking kidding, right? Did you miss the part where I had a screaming match and then ended up smacking my ex in the face with a helmet?" Jax barked a loud laugh, rubbing a hand over his face.  
"Thanks for that, by the way." He took a pull from his cigarette, trying to stop himself from smiling at the thought of the evening's dramatic events.  
"It was kind of hot, you know?" He said turning to look at her briefly, but before she had time to register his glance he had turned back to look out onto the yard.  
"What?"  
"You getting all fired up like that." She didn't know what to do with that information. Her stomach twisted into knots and suddenly, despite the cold November air she was unusually warm.

Before she could think of how to react to it Bobby had appeared. "Home time, kid."  
"Okay, be right there." She watched him disappear back into the house. She felt awkward now, the potential moment ruined.  
"I guess I'll see you around." She said quietly, cursing Bobby in her head.  
"Countin' on it. Stay gold." He winked at her, kissed her cheek and with his usual amount of swagger, made his way back inside.

0-0

**Early December 1996**

The start of the month had its ups and downs.

On the plus side she had interviewed for three colleges, in hopes that at least one would accept her and she could get out of dodge and return home with a real career.

On the downside the Munson household was close to becoming a war zone. Precious returned shortly after Thanksgiving and things got a lot worse. She was majorly unhappy with their marriage and made that blatantly obvious, calling Bobby out for his almost constant absence from their home.  
Despite Bobby's laid-back attitude to just about everything, she had drawn out anger that most people suspected Bobby was devoid of.

Lauren had been trying to schedule her shifts accordingly, to try and have as little time at home during the evenings as possible.  
She hadn't been so lucky today though. The fighting began as soon as dinner started, so Lauren took her dinner to her room, hoping to eat in peace and quiet. She could hear them screaming from her bedroom and right now all she wanted to do was join in. Tell them both how much they fucking sucked.  
She could hear them screaming accusations of who was the worst parent.  
_"You dump Tiki without a moments notice!"_ Bobby had cried.  
_"You're never even here! Doing god knows what at that clubhouse. If you aren't at that goddamn place then you're away to Tahoe!"_ She retaliated.

The pillow was doing a piss poor job of shielding her ears from the rowing downstairs. She sat up from her place on the bed sharply. That was it, she was out of there. She put her shoes on, grabbed the cigarettes, purse and phone from the dresser table and threw on her leather jacket.  
_"To work! I'm the only one that has a job!"_  
_"I just had a baby, you inconsiderate bastard!"_  
_"No, you had a baby nine months ago. What the fuck do you do everyday?"_

They were going full throttle when she jogged down the stairs, only stopping to observe her.  
"Where are you going?"  
"Out." She replied flatly, glaring at the sight of them.  
"Where?"  
"I don't know, okay?" She snapped back, she drew a breath to steady her nerve. _Remember who you're talking to here._ She chastised herself. "I'm sorry. I can't sit up there and listen to this anymore. I need to get out of here. I'll be back later." Without hesitating she headed out of the door.

She climbed into the black Honda Civic and put the keys into the ignition; once they were in place she let her hand drop into her lap. She had no idea where to go.

Denny was back in Sacramento- going there was out of the question. Donna and Opie were on one of their 'dates' at the streams. At least someone was getting lucky.  
That left one person.  
She fished her phone from her jacket pocket, pulled up his contact details and stared at them. She'd been relying on him a lot the last few months; she chewed on her bottom lip as she debated hitting the call button.  
"Fuck it. What's the worst that can happen?" She muttered to herself as she hit the green send button. It only took three rings for him to pick up.

"Hey darlin', what's up?"  
"Just wondered if you were free, I know it's pretty short notice but..." She was muttering quietly, not like her at all.  
"Always got time for you, something wrong?"  
"Same shit, different day."  
"What?"  
"Never mind. You think we can get wasted? Kind of need it today."  
"Sure. Come up to the clubhouse."  
"On my way. Thanks Jax."  
"No problem, see you in a few."

0-0

Jax had a bottle of Jack and a set of glasses waiting for them in his dorm room. By the time she had arrived there the ball of rage in her stomach had subsided a little.  
He filled both glasses and lit up a joint, padding over to the bed to hand over one of the glasses. She remained quiet, staring at a spot on the dirty carpet. He continued to observe her for a while, noting how those once chubby cheeks seemed to have thinned out some, almost making her look older.

"So, talk to me. What's going on?" She sat up and accepted the glass, nodding a thanks to him.  
"Needed to get out of the house for a while. It's a nightmare over there at the moment."  
"That bad?"  
"They fight every night. _Every_ fucking night."  
"Shit, why didn't you say something?"  
"I did a pretty good job of avoiding it most of the time. Asked for a lot of dinner shifts at work."

Jax nodded, handing over the joint "You think Precious wants out?"  
She nodded as she exhaled a stream of smoke, she watched it swirl away from her before turning her attention back to Jax."I _know_ it. As much as we don't get along, I respect her for sticking around so long." That had surprised Jax, he knew that there was no love lost between them but for her to almost defend Precious.

"Can I tell you something?" She asked suddenly.  
"Anything."  
"You know that I had interviews for college?" He nodded at her, encouraging her to continue. "Well, I asked if they'd consider accepting me in the spring semester, instead of fall." She took a few more pulls of the joint before handing it back to him and taking a sip from the glass.  
"What?"  
"If I get accepted it would mean starting at the end of next month."  
"Does Bobby know?" She shook her head, no. "Don't you think you should tell him?"  
"I will, but there's no point right now- not until I find out either way."  
"Are you still hoping for UCLA?" She shook her head again, Jax raised his eyebrows as if to try to get her to elaborate.  
"Not so much. Denny got me to apply for the Cal State campus in Sacramento. Said that I could go live with her if I get in."

"Did you decide to go back to school just to get out of here?" He couldn't help but ask, was she going to disappear like Tara had?  
"It's not like that. After we graduated- whilst we weren't really speaking." She said, waving a hand between herself and Jax to indicate what she was talking about "I felt really lost. Wasn't happy, couldn't work out how to get happy when I felt so trapped and... Useless. Anyways, I had a real good think and decided I wanted a real career. I'm not saying that the shit at home wasn't part of it- it totally is." She paused, finishing off the contents of her glass. "Once I graduate I'll move back and besides, I'll still be around during holidays and stuff. It's only a half hour journey to Sacramento anyway."  
"Yeah, for people with lead feet." He smirked at her, bringing a genuine smile to her face. A smile that actually reached her green eyes.  
"Asshole. You know you can come visit me, right?"  
"I know." He put out what was left of the joint and topped up their drinks. "So, you feel better?" It was clear what the answer to that was, but she nodded anyway.

She felt lighter after unloading, like the millstone had been lifted from her neck. The uneasy, anxious storm in her stomach had long since subsided. "Thanks to you."  
"Hey, what are families for?" He winked back making her smile back at him. He held his arms open beckoning her to give him a hug. She shuffled along the bed, wrapping her arms around his torso. Fuck, he was going to miss her.

When he and Tara had hit the skids he hadn't missed the sex- mostly because he found other replacements around the clubhouse. It had been the company that he missed. He didn't bother trying to converse with the croweaters, what was the fucking point? It wasn't like they had a single brain cell between them.  
That had probably been the reason that they were so much closer than before. He just missed the company.

0-0

**Late December 1996**

As predicted, Precious had walked two weeks before Christmas. She was done with the hostile environment and most definitely done with Bobby. The worst part of it all was that she had taken Tiki with her. Bobby had taken that hard and returned to spending most of his time at the clubhouse getting drunk with Piney and his Patrón.

Lauren tried to ignore the ache that signaled just how much she missed her brother by keeping busy, taking extra shifts at the diner. She hated how quiet their home had become and she knew she'd be in need of the extra money.

Whilst Bobby and Precious were winding things down someone up above had been smiling down on Lauren; Cal State had found a place for her in the spring intake of students. She didn't know how, but she was entirely grateful. Bobby had been less than thrilled that she hadn't informed him of her plans straight away, but he had been happy for her.

As a child she had imagined herself in a host of jobs. At first she grew up assuming she'd become a musician or a mechanic, or both like her dad. That had changed when she had lost her mother. She was thirteen when Carolyn had been in an automobile accident that left her on life support. She was hooked up to all kinds of machines and it scared the shit out of Lauren. The nurses had been incredible, not just because of the way that they had taken such good care of Carolyn- but also the way they had treated the rest of the family.  
Bobby and Lauren had obviously struggled, especially when Bobby had to make the decision to switch off the life support machines, but the nurses had cared just as much about them as they had done for Carolyn.  
That was when Lauren had known what she wanted to grow up to be. She wanted to be like those nurses, make a real difference to people- help people.  
Bobby watched her curiously as they sat at the dinner table. Dinner had been over for a while but neither of them had bothered to move.  
"You okay sweetheart?"  
"Hmm? Oh yeah. Just thinking about mom."  
"What about her?"  
"I dunno." She shrugged. "How much I miss her."  
"I miss her too." He motioned with a nod of his head. "Come here."  
"What for?"  
"Because your old man wants a hug. Now get over here." Despite almost being a grown woman he had pulled her onto his lap, his arms encircling her.  
"Dad! I'm gonna squish you!"  
"You? You're a bag of bones honey. Now listen to me." She stopped her laughter and turned her face towards him. "I'm real proud of you. Your mother, she'd be so proud of you too. She always knew you'd do well in life."

By now her arms were wrapped almost tightly around his neck."You're gonna make me cry."  
"Aww, I'm sorry sweetheart. But I'm a proud father, so I'm allowed. I love you."  
"Love you too." She planted a kiss on his cheek before settling her head on his shoulder.

0-0

**AN: Again, would just like to thank people for reading, hopefully you are enjoying this. Let me know either way.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Late December, 1996:**

The days leading up to Christmas had been hectic for most of the Samcro family.  
Unfortunately for the club, criminal organisations didn't close for the holidays. Between meets with the Irish, a new shipment of guns and keeping the Nords the fuck out of Charming they had been stretched pretty thin.  
Once that had been dealt with it was plain sailing. The garage closed at lunch time on December 23rd so the clubhouse could be prepped for the annual TM Christmas party. It was one of the highlights of Samcro's social calendar- all club members, family and TM employees would be in attendance.  
Luann, April Hobart, Lauren and Donna had been called upon to help with the preparations for the party.  
"Why does this always feel like punishment?" Donna muttered to Lauren as they made their way over to the collection of boxes that held Christmas decorations.  
"Could be worse, Don. We could be on clean up detail, cleaning up trash... with the trash." Donna nodded in agreement.  
Gemma had been a little gracious and allowed the girls to set up the decorations, giving them time to talk.  
"So how's stuff at home now that Precious has gone?"  
"Quiet, especially since dad's been so busy with the club lately."  
"Tell me about it - Ope and I have barely had a minute alone this past week."  
"Hey, at least you have someone to be alone with. You're doing better than I am."  
"Feeling a little pent up frustration?"  
"A little? Try a whole fucking lot." Lauren buried her hands into the musty cardboard box to yank out a stream of tinsel. It was tangled, forcing her to lean further into the box.  
"What with all the shit that's been going on, I've had a real dry spell. Having a certain someone bang the troubles right outta me might have been helpful." Her voice was muffled but Donna heard it clearly.  
She clambered out of the box as gracefully as possible, turning to see the shocked expression on Donna's face.  
"You little tramp!"  
"Am not!" Lauren pouted at her friend before they both let out a laugh.  
"How's it going with him anyway?" Lauren shrugged, she had wondered the same thing herself. After their conversation on Thanksgiving things had appeared to return to normal, she pined after Jax and he was seemingly unaware of it.  
"So find out."  
"How?"  
"I don't know, put the moves on him. He said you were hot, right?"  
"He said _kind of hot_." Donna waved off the comment.  
"Same thing. Seriously, you won't know until you try." Lauren chewed on her lip, considering her options.  
"I'll think about it."  
"What's to think about? I think it's gonna happen. You two have got a lot closer, that much is clear." Lauren gave her a tilt of the head in agreement, Donna wasn't wrong.  
"You know, I think you're right. If it all backfires I can just say that I was drunk and didn't mean it." In the hope of deflecting away from the subject of her sex life - or lack thereof, she played the one card she knew would distract Donna "So how are things with you Ope anyhow?"  
"Great! I really love him, you know?" Lauren nodded, a warm smile passing over her lips.  
"I swear you two are made for each other."  
"He asked me what I thought about getting his crow."  
"That's amazing! You said yes, right?" Donna nodded; the grin on her face said it all.  
"Hey ladies, wanna cut the chat and actually do some decorating?" Lauren's back stiffened as she heard the call of the queen. She continued trying to get the damn piece of tinsel to stick to the wall. "Don't make me separate you." She warned, her eyes narrowing at the girls.  
"Sorry Gem!" Donna said, giving Gemma and apologetic smile. Gemma nodded, accepting the apology before turning on her heel and heading back to the kitchen.  
"Fuck! You don't think she was standing there the whole time, do you?"  
"I doubt it. She would have said something."

**0-0**

Once the decorations were up and Gemma had voiced her approval it left Donna and Lauren some spare time to get ready for the party. They had opted to go to Lauren's place.  
Donna had finished preening way before Lauren and had made herself comfortable on the futon in Lauren's room, flipping through magazines.  
"Are you nearly done?" Donna hollered at the closed en-suite door.  
"Almost, I'll be two seconds." Donna would believe that when she saw it.  
"Okay, be honest. How do I look?" She asked as she stepped out into her bedroom. Donna looked up from the magazine and froze, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. She was utterly dumbfounded, her friend always made a little effort to look good but she had clearly gone to a hell of a lot of trouble for the evening's shindig.  
"Holy mother of Christ." She tossed the magazine down on the futon, giving her full attention to Lauren.  
"It's too much, isn't it? I knew it." Lauren looked uncertain, chewing on her bottom lip. Yeah, she wanted to look hot, not like one of the glorified hookers that would be hanging around the clubhouse. "I need to tone it down some, don't I?"  
"No not at all, it's perfect." Donna appraised her from head to foot. The loose messy curls, smokey eyes and bright red lips made her look way older than normal. The black strapless dress clung to her, accentuating her comely figure and the stiletto Mary Janes made her usually average legs appear to not only seem a tad more curvaceous, but also a little longer.  
"Promise that I don't look like a slut?"  
"Cross my heart. You look fan-fucking-tastic." Donna drew an imaginary cross over her heart. "Now can we go?"  
"Sure."

**0-0**

Opie had been manning the bar until Donna arrived and they had long since vanished together. He had convinced Mal to take over for a while, promising to make it worth his while. Mal was a tall, skinny kid who was now reaching the end of his prospecting period.  
Lauren had spent a sufficient amount of time mingling with people, she thought, opting to grab another drink - she definitely needed one.  
"What are you drinking?" Mal asked.  
"Jack and Coke please. Could you make it a large one? Oh and a shot of tequila, please." She smiled sweetly, she needed all the booze she could get.  
"For you? Sure." They exchanged smiles and he got to pouring her drink. "You look really good tonight."

She was taken aback by the compliment briefly, but managed to have a little composure. "Thanks."  
"I'm getting patched real soon, you know?" His comment appeared out of nowhere.

She nodded and ran a hand through her curls. "I heard, congratulations."

He grinned at her again and she suddenly felt a little awkward.

"I'd better go say hi to people. Catch you later."

Jax was at the pool table when he saw an unfamiliar brunette at the bar. His concentration had wavered from the men around him as he observed her. He could tell that Mal was trying to flirt with the lady as he leaned over the bar attempting to flash a grin. He wasn't that surprised, he'd do the same if it were him in that situation.  
Then she turned away from the bar and he saw her face- he was floored. That could not be her, _no fucking way_.

She hadn't noticed him staring at her like some slack-jawed idiot, luckily. Instead, it was someone over by the couches that had piqued her interest, she waved at them and seemed to almost glide in their direction.  
After finishing up the pool game he retreated to the bar, making idle chat with Piney whilst he waited for Mal to return from the back with a fresh crate of beer. He scanned the room again, she and Luann were laughing at something Otto had said. Once the laughter had subsided she turned her head in his direction, he caught her attention. His stomach lurched the second their eyes met and he just kept staring.  
She smiled softly at him, raising her free hand to wave. It took him a minute to come to his senses but he nodded back as he watched her excuse herself from the presence of the older couple. She was walking over to the bar and he knew he was blatantly staring, but _fuck_, he could not look away.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She'd gained his attention and now her stomach fluttered with nerves. She hoped she could pull this off.  
"Hey you." She nudged him.  
"Hey yourself, little darlin'. Having a good time?" She nodded, the sweet little smile still plastered on her lips. He stooped down a little to bring his mouth closer to her ear "You look amazing." He stated quietly. He straightened back up and she took a deep breath, trying to reign in the urge to grin. She could already feel her cheeks getting warm.. "Think you need another one." He signalled to the empty glass in her hand.  
"Think I do." Mal was standing in front of them waiting for an order, clearing his throat to make his point.  
"Wanna split a bottle of Jack with me?"  
"Sure."  
"You heard the lady." Jax asserted to the other prospect. He noted that Mal was still checking Lauren out, but she was too busy glancing up at Jax to notice. He smiled to himself briefly then gave her a wink.  
"I gotta go use the bathroom. I'll be back." Lauren turned to head deeper into the clubhouse but was stopped when Jax gently grabbed her arm.

With some quick thinking on his part he had a chance to get her alone, if he sent her out to the office bathrooms he could wait outside to catch her. "Go use the one in the office, you don't want to see the one in here."

She nodded in agreement, turning on her heel to make her way outside.  
By the time she had finished checking her appearance he was already on one of the now deserted benches, joint in one hand and the opened bottle of Jack in the other. She climbed on to the table to sit beside him.  
"Hey! You started without me." She pouted, eventually breaking into a wide grin. He handed over the joint, scooting towards her some.  
"Sorry darlin'." Her head was now resting gently on his shoulder, her eyes were slightly hooded, to Jax it looked like she was feeling the effects of all the Jack. He instinctively slipped his arm around her waist, closing the gap between them that little bit more by pulling her closer into his side.  
He couldn't pinpoint when the dynamics between them had shifted from platonic friendship to...whatever this was. Maybe it had been when they had made up, he'd missed her the entire time they hadn't spoken, but he had been too pig-headed to swallow his pride for a long while.  
He didn't hate the change; if anything it had been a comfort knowing that they had each other.  
Thanksgiving night had given him some clarity, watching her assault her ex in order to defend him made him respect her all the more.  
He didn't hate the change, if anything it had been a comfort knowing that they had each other.  
They had been sitting that way for a while, only speaking when they passed the bottle. Lauren shifted, sitting bolt upright and began rooting around in her purse until she pulled out a small gift wrapped box and handed it over to Jax. "I forgot - I got you an early Christmas present."  
"What's this for?"

She shrugged. "Just wanted to say thanks for everything."  
"You didn't have to do that."  
"I know, but I wanted to."  
"So can I open it?" She nodded, watching him appraise the small box. He gingerly tore at the gift wrap until it lay in a heap on the table. Lifting the lid, he peered inside and picked the small item out of the box. He held the silver lighter in the palm of his hand, etched onto the smooth surface was an image of the reaper. He remained silent as he ran his thumb over the intricate pattern. He was stunned into silence, still focusing on the metal object.  
"You like it?" She was uncertain, he had yet to remove his eyes from the article let alone say anything. He broke his gaze, suddenly looking her dead in the eye.  
"Shit, I _love_ it. Thank you."  
He wanted to thank her properly, feel her lips on his but with amount of prying eyes around the lot, tongues would be set wagging in an instant. Instead he settled for a tight hug, burying his face into her soft, tousled hair. "Your gift is inside, if you want it now."  
"Sure, why not?"  
He had walked ever so slightly behind her, a hand on the small of her back the entire way through the clubhouse. He was now rifling through the dresser drawer and Lauren stood awkwardly, leaning against the desk as she watched him.  
"They're not wrapped, sorry about that." He commented sheepishly.  
"Don't worry about it." She waved him off before accepting the two boxes. "Two gifts. Well don't I feel special?" She joked before opening the boxes. The larger box held a stethoscope, whilst the smaller contained a metal fob watch. She was genuinely touched by the thoughtfulness of the gifts. "They're great, Jax." She beamed at him.  
"You sure?"  
"Cross my heart." She placed the boxes on top of the desk softly, wrapped her arms around his neck and felt herself be pulled flush against the body that she had spent far too long dreaming about.  
"Hey." He muttered, so quietly she almost missed it due to the sound of her quickening pulse ringing in her ears. She removed her head from the crook of his neck to give him a questioning look. He answered by capturing her lips with his own softly, one of his hands tangling itself into the back of her hair whilst the other came to rest at the base of her throat. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her waiting mouth.  
Her hands made their way down his chest to grip at the hem of his shirt, his hands caught hers as they moved to tug his shirt up. Her eyes locked onto his and he could see the confusion written across her face. Was he having second thoughts? Was he going to say what a huge mistake this would be? She felt panicked for a moment, hoping he wouldn't reject her.

"You sure this is what you want?"

She visibly relaxed the second that he had asked and in her mind, was thanking God for what was about to happen. "Absolutely." She was met with soft grin before he yanked the shirt over his head, tossed it to the floor and backed her up against the desk, his lips crashing down hers again.  
Her legs felt as if they might give out when his rough hand slid beneath her underwear. Softly teasing the sensitive bundle of nerves before it descended into a faster, rougher motion that had her close to hyperventilating.  
"Take off your dress." Jax insisted. Although quiet, his tone was almost domineering. She complied, unzipping. He pulled her from the edge of the desk so he could pull the dress down swiftly. His hands tangled in the little black thong, working it down her creamy legs allowing her to step out of it. His gaze wandered over her now naked form, taking in every curve.

Lauren's hands went to the waistband of his jeans. She unbuttoned them and with one sharp tug had pulled them down with his boxers. He kicked them out of way, grabbed her by the hips and was backing up to the bed. As soon as his ass had hit the mattress she straddled his hips and pushed him back on to the bed, feeling his impressive length digging into her. He relented his assault on her mouth, letting their foreheads collide with a soft thud.  
"You okay?"

She was still breathless and could only nod in reply.

"Ready?"

She nodded her head with more ferocity, bracing herself on his shoulders as he lowered her hips, enabling him to enter her.  
She bit back a gasp as he slid inside. They were totally still for a brief moment giving her a chance to accommodate him. His hands were still glued to her hips when she began slowly rolling them, finding an increasingly satisfying rhythm. Her back arched forcing her breasts towards him, his hands roamed from her hips ending up on the fleshy orbs, grabbing and massaging them roughly. Her hands gripped his muscular thighs tightly, not caring if her newly manicured nails bit in to his skin.  
She needed to feel closer to him, bringing her arms around his neck she initiated another deliciously long kiss.  
Jax suddenly grabbed a hold of her, enabling him to flip them over. The rhythm and force increased so quickly that Lauren was almost dazed.  
"Jax, fuck!" She gasped. He grabbed the back of her thigh, forcing her to move her leg so he could gain more access. He pushed himself deeper inside her, feeling himself getting closer and closer to the edge, letting out a grunt with each thrust. One hand tangled into his hair whilst her free hand scrunched the bed sheet. She was so close to orgasm it was almost painful.  
A couple more powerful thrusts and the pair were breathless, sweaty and spent. Both satisfied, they lay together with limbs entangled.  
"You okay?" He asked, she turned onto her side to look up at him, he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear whilst he waited for some kind of response.  
"Better." She rose from her place next to him.  
"Where do you think you're going?" He inquired.  
"Bathroom, that okay with you?" She smirked at him.  
"Don't take long. Haven't finished with you yet." He slapped her ass playfully, grinning at her.  
Once she was in the bathroom she let rip with a huge grin that she had somehow managed to conceal thus far. _Merry fucking Christmas_ she thought to herself.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Any feedback would be much appreciated**


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